AN: Looking at the viewer stats, I think some of you may have missed chapter 74, which was uploaded at the same time as chapter 75. You will probably want to go back and read it—this whole battle thing will make a hell of a lot more sense that way. :P
Morgana climbed slowly to her feet, her expression unreadable. She raised her hand toward Arthur. Elyan raised his sword and tried to step toward her, but Arthur held him back with a vise-like grip, his gaze still not moving from his sister. They stared at one another, Arthur waiting for Morgana to make a move, for her eyes to flash gold, for her to say something—anything.
There was a sudden thump as something heavy hit Merlin on the back of his head: he tumbled to his knees, stunned. There was a clanging of swords, and Merlin, dazed, looked up in time to see Elyan stumble backward from Horsa's swinging blade.
Morgana's general had found them and was ready to finish the battle.
Arthur, bereft of his sword, which was still stuck in the ground where he had relinquished it, had leapt back from Horsa's initial attack and now faced his foe unarmed. Merlin raised his hand, but an attack of dizziness overcame him and he collapsed sideways, the world spinning around him. He looked up in time to see Arthur on the ground, Horsa standing over him with his sword raised, about to deliver the killing blow.
The world was spinning; Merlin could not muster the concentration to help. Even as everything swung sickeningly around him, he saw a flash of gold in Morgana's eyes. "NO!" he shouted.
There was a horrible crunching sound—and Horsa looked down at Excalibur, its hilt sticking out of his chest. His own sword fell senseless from his hand, and he collapsed backward, blood pouring from the wound. He was dead before he struck the ground.
Morgana lowered her hand. "That is the last life I shall ever take," she said quietly.
They all three stared at her. Elyan was the first to move, climbing to his feet. Morgana stepped forward as if she would pull Arthur up, but then she yanked her hand back and balled it into a fist. Instead, Elyan helped his brother-in-law to his feet, then turned to Merlin.
"Are you alright?" he said, pulling Merlin up and supporting him by the arm.
Merlin tried to nod, and the world spun again for a moment. He was glad for Elyan's supporting hand. "I've had worse," he said roughly, with a wry smile. Elyan smiled back.
Arthur looked down at the body of his foe, then back up at his sister. "Thank you," he said. She nodded.
Arthur glanced around at the battle, which had moved away from them. The Saxons were hard-pressed, many of them trying to flee the field through the thick woods on either side. "What will you do?" he asked, turning back to Morgana. He paused. "Will you come back with us? To Camelot?"
Elyan made a noise of protest in his throat, but said nothing. Merlin imagined Morgana there, in the throne room, having to show obedience to her younger half-brother while the other courtiers looked on at her in hatred. She could never be happy there, reminded of all that she had lost. Morgana slowly shook her head. "I… no," she said—perhaps seeing the same future Merlin did. "My crimes have been too great," she continued in a low voice, almost as if she were speaking to herself. "There is no place for me now in your world." She shook herself and looked up to meet his eye. "I will retire to the Isle of Avalon," she continued, her voice stronger. "That is the proper place for the last High Priestess. There perhaps I can learn to know myself better." She paused, looking at his face for a long time, as if she were memorizing it—perhaps she was. She stepped closer.
"When you are at your last need, Arthur Pendragon—my brother—come to me. Avalon will then pledge—" she swallowed and blinked—"her love."
Arthur nodded. Morgana bowed her head to him, and turned to give Merlin himself a last, long look. Then she turned and walked slowly toward the forest, away from the battle. The three of them watched her go.
"MORGANA! WAIT!"
She stopped and turned as Mordred rode up. He jumped down from the saddle. "Where are you going?" he asked urgently.
"To Avalon," she said with a sad smile. "To retreat from the world."
"Let me go with you," he said impetuously, glancing between her and Arthur.
She shook her head in surprise. "I am not going for a pleasure trip," she answered. "I am going there to stay."
"To change." He gave her a sad smile. "I know. But let me go with you! It will be hard for you to learn to love again—with no one there to love you back."
For a moment the shell cracked and merlin saw the old Morgana through it. The tears sprang to her eyes as she put her hand to Mordred's cheek. They both looked instinctively toward Arthur, who nodded with a tense smile. Mordred smiled at Morgana sunnily, looking like the innocent boy from so many years ago. She smiled a little back and nodded. "Thank you," she whispered. She turned back to Arthur once more, her expression lighter. "Goodbye, Arthur. We will meet again someday."
"Goodbye, Morgana."
She and Mordred turned and left the battlefield, side by side. When they had disappeared under the eaves of the forest, Arthur looked down at Horsa once more, then put his foot down and drew Excalibur from out of his foe's chest.
"Come on," he said to Merlin and Elyan. "We have a battle to win."
000
Gwen, Raynelle, Mithian and Elena had quite a hard time making their way onto the battlefield after their part was finished. The forest was thick, and while that would not have been much of a problem had it just been them, leading their horses through it had been considerably more difficult.
By the time they had struggled out of the last of the underbrush and found themselves on the field, the outcome of the battle was already clear: the Saxons were routed. Everywhere they looked, they could see the crimson of Camelot, the slate-grey of Essetir. The black of the Saxons was mostly on the bodies that littered the ground in every direction. The other three mounted up and waded straight into battle, but Raynelle looked for the principle leaders: Gaheris she could see a good distance away, his standard nearby—and Bergam and Kay fighting by his side. Morgana and Horsa were nowhere to be seen.
At last she spotted Arthur, fighting not far from the wall of fire down the center of the field. She mounted up and drew her sword, ready to ride to her king. As she watched, Arthur dispatched a Saxon attacker while Merlin, back-to-back with him, threw five men backward through the air. Arthur turned his head to make some laughing comment to Merlin—
—and a Saxon arrow caught him directly in the chest.
"ARTHUR!" Raynelle shouted, spurring her horse into a gallop.
Arthur fell backward, almost knocking Merlin off his feet. Merlin caught him by the shoulders at the last second and lowered him gently to the ground. Then the men around them closed ranks, and Raynelle couldn't see any more.
When she reached them, Merlin and King Godwyn had pulled the arrow from Arthur's chest and were trying to stop the bleeding. But the cloth they held to the wound was quickly turning red.
"Glanmor," Raynelle said, grabbing the arm of a young Camelot foot soldier beside her. "Go get the Queen." Glanmor, white-faced, nodded and ran.
Merlin looked panicked. "Þurhhæle! Ic hæle þina þrowunga," he said desperately. Nothing seemed to be happening. Arthur's face was paling by the moment. Merlin lifted his head. "Where's Anna?" he exclaimed in desperation.
"She's on the other side of the fire," someone answered.
Merlin raised his hand toward the flames, barely glancing at them. "Acwence þa bælblyse!" he said shortly, and with a stunning blast of wind, the fire blew out. "Fetch her!" he said. One of the knights mounted up and galloped off into the south side of the battlefield.
"Stay with me, Arthur," Merlin said, leaning over his friend, his face almost as white as the King's. "Help is coming."
"It's alright," Arthur said quietly, his chest heaving. "We won." Merlin nodded, his face crumpling. "There will be peace—" he paused, gasping for breath—"peace for Albion."
"But not for me," Merlin choked out. "Not without you."
Arthur reached up and gripped Merlin's shoulder. "I'm glad you're with me," he said falteringly, and closed his eyes.
"Arthur!" Merlin gripped his wrist, holding it to his shoulder. "Arthur! Hold on!"
Arthur's head fell gently to the side.
TBC
